First Grade · Math · week 19

Missing addend: 6 + ___ = 10

Solve addition equations with a missing addend using known facts or counting on.

Sometimes the blank is not at the end -- it is in the middle! In 6 + ___ = 10, you already know the total (10) and one part (6). Your job is to find the missing part.

Count on from 6 to 10 to find the answer, or think of it as a number bond: 6 and what make 10?

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Use objects: show the known part, then add one at a time until you reach the known total, counting how many you added.
  • Connect back to number bonds from week 1 -- a missing addend is just a missing part of a bond.
  • Read the equation as a question out loud: "6 plus what equals 10?"
  • Keep totals at or below 10 this week before moving to the teens.
Talk about it:
  • In 5 + ___ = 9, what are you trying to find?
  • How is a missing addend like a number bond?
  • What is the missing number in 2 + ___ = 7?

Mastery looks like: They solve for a missing addend within 10 using counting on or a known number bond.

Common stumbles: Adding the two known numbers instead of finding the difference; losing count while counting on.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

AdditionSee groups combine — with counters, blocks, and the number line.try →Counting & Ten-FramesCount objects in ten-frames and base-ten blocks, one tap at a time.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Math for this learner.
← Back to todayAll coursesYear planner